Link for sprinklers.



P. FLAMAND.

LINK FOR SPHINKLERS.

APPLICATION EILED 05mm, 1015.

Patented J an. 28, 1919.

UNITED STATES PATENT ormon. I

PO'U'L FLAMANI 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO POWELL EVANS,

OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

LINK FOR SPRINKLERS.

Application filed December 31, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Poiin FLAMAND, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented Links for Sprinklers, of which the following is a specification.

One object of my invention is to provide a relatively simple, compact and inexpensive form of fusible link or temperature responsive connection particularly designed for detachably connecting the valve holding the levers of an automatic sprinkler, the construction being such that under normal conditions by far the greater part of the stress applied to the link by said levers is transmitted through the infusible portions thereof which however are so formed and mounted that upon the fusing of the solder by which they are connected, they will certainly separate to allow movement apart of the levers and a consequent opening of the sprinkler.

I further desire to provide a novel form of sprinkler link which shall consist of two substantially parallel members and a third member interposed between them in such manner as to normally relieve the fusible solder of the link from the greater part of the stress exerted thereon by the valve holdinglevers but which in addition shall be of such a nature 'as to facilitate the separation of said parallel members when the solder fuses.

These objects and other advantageous ends I secure as hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of an automatic sprinkler equipped with my invention;

Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively a front ele vation and a vertical section on a somewhat enlarged scale, further illustrating the detail construction of the link itself, and

Fig. 4 is a detached perspective of the infusible parts of the link.

In the above drawings, 1 represents an open frame or yoke in the form of a casting having at one end a threaded tubular extension 2 for attachment to a suitable fitting forming part of a sprinkler system. -Where this extension opens into the interior of the yoke it is provided with a valve seat designed to receive a valve 3. Extending through and pinned or otherwise secured to Specification of Letters Patent.

of the lever 8.

Patented Jan. 28, 1919.

Serial No. 69,615.

the frame 1 at a point opposite the exten sion 2 and the valve 3 is a stud 1 having mounted upon it outside of said frame a water distributor 5 in the shape of a dished body of metal concave to the opening into the tubular extension 2 and having its periphery formed with notches 6 and 7. Of these latter, the notches (3 are relatively shorter in length than the notches 7 and both sets of notches extend toward the stud et in lines inclined to radii therefrom.

The valve 3 is normally maintained closed against fluid pressure exerted through the extension 2 by a pair of co-acting levers 8 and 9, of which the first engages the inner or lower end of the stud 4 and has its oppositely projecting portion transversely grooved. The lever 9 similarly engages the valve 3 and has a transversely elongated edge entering the notch in the adjacent part Both of said levers have outwardly extending arms provided with hooks at their ends normally connected by a fusible link 10 whereby their coacting portions are retained in such positions as to hold the valve closed.

The link itself consists of three members 11, 12 and 13, of which the members 11 and 12 are identical in construction. Said'members are each made of a plate of sheet metal having adjacent one end an opening 14L for the reception of the hook of one of the lovers 8 or 9. The opposite end of each member is notched at 15 so as to clear the second lever hook and has adjacent its middle portion a transversely elongated opening 16 whose side or edge adjacent said notch is straight while its opposite edge is forced out on one side of the plane of the member to form a shallow pocket or cavity. Each member likewise is provided with a suitable number of projections 17 (in the present case, two), placed on either side of the opening 14 and designed to engage the opposite end of the other member so as to space it away from its surface a predetermined dis tance, it being noted that said projections extend in a direction opposite that of the pressed out edge of the opening 16.

The member 13 consists of a slightly elongated body of fiat metal preferably pointed or tapered at its ends and so bent that said ends are parallel but connected by an intermediate portion 18 extending substantially at right angles to their planes In assembling the link, the members 11 and 12 are sweated together with solder or suitable material which fuses at a predetermined relatively low point, with the member 13 mounted with its part 18 extending through the openings 16 of said members and its ends respectively adjacent their outer flat surfaces. The portions of each of said mem bers adjacent the notch 15 engage the projections 17 on the other member so that there is between the two a spacefilled with a pre determined thickness of solder. Moreover the fiat edges of the openings 16 of the two members engage opposite faces of the intermediate part 18 of the member 18, which is held by the solder with its ends spaced away from the outer faces of the two members 11 and 12 respectively. The outwardly bent portions 19 of each member cotiperate with the adjacent plane portion of the other member to form pockets in which a small body of fusible material is held.

With the several parts mounted and arranged as shown in Fig. 1, there is normally a certain stress exerted by the levers upon the link 10, tending to separate its plate members 11 and 12. Obviously however the greater part of this stress is exerted upon the transverse portion 18 of the member 13, although there is a small component of said stress tending to rotate said member and swing its ends outwardly from the adjacent faces of the members 11 and 12. When however, owing to a predetermined rise of temperature, the fusible material melts suffi ciently to release the members'll and 12, the relative movement'of these latter in parallel planes at once rotates the member 13, which is so engaged by said members that they are caused to laterally separate. The levers 8 and 9 are thuspermitted to move apart sufficiently to release the valve 3 which consequently leaves its seat under the action of the fluid pressure in the extension 2, with the well known results.

I claim 1. A fusible link consisting of two plates each having an opening and each pressed out adjacent its opening to form a depres sion; a key extending through said openings; with a body of solder entering the depressions and separately holding together the plates and the key.

2. A link consisting of two plates each having an opening of which one edge is straight and another is bent outwardly; a key passing through said openings and engaged by the flat edges thereof; with a body of relatively fusible solder connecting the plates and key and filling the pockets defined by the pressed-out edge of each open ing and the face of theiplate adjacent thereto. 7

POUL FLAMAND.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by'addressing the Commissioner of l'atents, Washington, 1). G. 

